


are you having a bad time, there in your home?

by WattStalf



Series: Commissions [362]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cheating, F/M, Marriage of Convenience, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent/Child Incest, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, commission
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:21:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29203503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WattStalf/pseuds/WattStalf
Summary: Everyone thinks that the power couple that unites Fodlan and Almyra is madly in love. The only person who seems to be able to tell that they aren't is Jeralt, the only person that Byleth can turn to.
Relationships: Jeralt Reus Eisner/My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Commissions [362]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1325462
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Eventual smut begins next chapter

Claude and Byleth von Riegan are the ideal couple, and as happy as can be. Everyone in Fodlan knows that, can tell that the two of them are meant to be. They met when she was his professor, but the age difference is not so great that it makes any real difference, and during the war, Byleth’s appearance after mysteriously vanishing is said to have been what Claude needed to help turn the tides. The two of them are regarded as heroes, with Byleth serving as the new leader of Fodlan and its church, while Claude rules his own homeland of Almyra.

Everything about their relationship must be perfect. After all, they were always so close, one rarely seen without the other, and it is said that Byleth knows more of Claude’s secrets than anyone else. To the rest of the world, it really does look like Claude and Byleth are soul mates, to the point that even his former classmates, her former students, believe that it is true. After all, they did end up getting married.

Byleth does know Claude better than most, at least that much is true. She knows that he does not love her, just the same as she knows she does not love him. The two of them have never been in love, and she honestly can’t imagine ever falling in love with someone like him. Though they are good friends, there is just some feeling always nagging at her, telling her that Claude is not her type, even though she has no other ideas what her type might actually be. Byleth has never loved him, but with their plans for a unified Fodlan, and for peace between Fodlan and Almyra, a marriage just makes the most sense.

Neither of them have serious suitors, or plans to marry anyone else, so it just works out, and Byleth is willing to agree to that political marriage. At the same time, they also agree that putting on a show of actually being in love with one another might also be beneficial. It would not look good on their plans if it really seemed like the only reason they married each other was in order to bring those plans to fruition. So, the two of them pretend it is not just a political marriage, and on their wedding day, they make it seem as if they are truly in love.

Even the people very close to them can’t really tell that they have no real romantic chemistry. Byleth has always been the quiet sort, so most would just write it off as her not being good at expressing her feelings, and assuming that Claude can bring it out in her when the two are alone, or something to that degree. The only person who does seem to realize that there is a problem is the one person who knew Byleth before she ever came to the monastery, before she ever even met Claude.

Jeralt is not fooled by any of this.

There are a lot of reasons that he does not believe his daughter is really in love with Claude, but the biggest one is that she never talked to him about it. Throughout the war, and even the time before that, when she was settling in as a teacher, she would come to him whenever she needed to talk about something. Though she is not particularly talkative, he was always the one she would ask her questions to, and who she would go to when she needed advice on anything. The only time she did not come to him for advice was that horrible period when she was presumed dead.

If she were feeling something like that, wouldn’t she have come to him? He doubts that his daughter is the type to be so embarrassed by her growing romantic feelings that she would not be able to talk to her father about them. Byleth would have wanted to know his opinion, would have wanted to talk about her mother, and how he knew when he fell in love with her. And even if she had decided against telling him, even if she were too shy to say it, he just knows that he would have been able to tell, because he knows her better than anyone.

There was never any shift in her behavior, and there never seems to be anything between her and Claude. Not only does she not seem to hold any feelings for him, but Jeralt can just tell from the way the boy looks at his daughter that he does not have any feelings either. That is not just his bias speaking, not just the fact that he has never really liked Claude; it is just the facts, plain and simple. But he is the only one who seems to realize it, and he keeps it to himself, knowing that Byleth must have a good reason for this. Even if it is just a political marriage, she would not have agreed to this if she did not want it.

Jeralt just silently supports her, like any good father would. She must have her reasons for it, and she always acts as if she has the whole world on her shoulders. Right now, it kind of seems like she does, and this marriage is a symbol of just how willing she is to do whatever it takes to set things right after the war tore so many things apart. Attempting to expose the lack of love in their marriage would only serve to undo the things that she, and he must begrudgingly admit, Claude have done. The two of them do make a good team, even if they are not in love.

And if he were to try and do something that might sabotage their relationship, he would be forced to ask himself why he wanted to do that, and he would not like the answer that would eventually come up, an answer that he has known, and repressed, for quite some time. It has been years since he came to this realization, and it became that much more prominent after he nearly died, when he woke up to his daughter crying over him, the first time she had ever cried.

And then, when he thought that she was the one who died, there was definitely no denying it, though he has done his best to keep those feelings hidden away, even with all that in mind. Jeralt is sure that whatever he feels for Byleth is just misplaced grief, because she resembles her mother so much, because she had to completely fill the void left by Sitri’s death, because he is so lonely and because Byleth has always been there for him. There are plenty of reasons he can come up with, to make sense of why this has happened to him, but even so, he has never been able to work through it, and has never been able to rid himself of his feelings.

Jeralt is in love with his daughter. He is attracted to her as a woman, seeing the beauty she possesses for what it is, and looking to her with more than just fatherly pride in his eyes. She is a lot like her mother, but there are still enough differences for him to know that she is her own person, and that makes it all the more clear that he has fallen in love with her for who she is, not as a replacement for Sitri.

Seeing his daughter get married to anyone is painful, and that certainly explains some of his dislike for Claude, though there have always been things about him that did not sit well with Jeralt. The boy is a smooth talker, and an amazing strategist, but Byleth has come to him a few times, expressing how much it bothers her that he keeps so many secrets, first from her, and then from his other friends, even after he revealed them to her. Jeralt can’t forget the time she asked him, “How can he expect his friends to die for his cause when he never tells him the truth behind it?”

It just never seemed possible that she could fall in love with and marry a man like Claude. She never seemed able to reconcile those things, able to be friends with him, but there never came a time when she revealed that she had moved past those flaws, and had fallen for him. One day, she just came to Jeralt, asking him how he would feel if she got married, and he just had to hold his tongue and pretend to be as fooled as the rest of Fodlan, fully supporting the marriage in public, while privately wishing there was something he could do to talk her out of it.

After a short honeymoon period, Claude has to leave, with his own business to deal with in Almyra. Byleth can’t accompany him, because of her own work, with the situation in Fodlan still fragile. She is amazing when it comes to leading, with a natural talent that has been cultivated in her years as a professor, and as Claude’s true right hand. She does an amazing job, but there seems to be something off about her, something that even her people notice, not just her father.

The rumor is that she misses her husband so much that it is distracting her from her work, and that can be easily forgiven, since they are still newly weds. However, Jeralt is almost certain that missing Claude has nothing to do with it, but beyond that, he is not sure what is on her mind. She does not open up to him when they are alone, and they barely ever have the chance to be alone anymore, with how busy she is. He looks for a chance to ask her what is on her mind, ready to let her confess the truth to him, but the chance never comes.

And then one day, the monastery- still in use, despite the prominence of the church declining- is in a panic. No one can find Byleth, and no one knows where to look for her.

~X~

Naturally, Jeralt is put on the case, both as captain of the knights, and as her father. When she is not found in any of the usual places, he tells the others to leave things to him for now, and he goes looking for her, not quite sure if he expects to find her in the Captain’s quarters or not, but hoping that she will be there, hoping to find her easily, and to find her in a place that she might have gone to find him.

When he enters, she does not look up, seeming to not even notice that he is there. Byleth must have come here for something other than fatherly comfort, judging by how much she has had to drink so far. Clearly, she knew this was the best place to go and find something like that, and normally, he might scold her for it, but right now, it seems like she seriously needs it.

“Hey, kid,” he says, closing the door behind him, so that no one will come in an interrupt them. The last thing anyone needs is to find her like this, but he especially knows that it would not be good for her if she was found like this. “You doing alright?”

“I’m fine,” she mumbles, making it all the more obvious that she is definitely not fine at all. “I just…needed to get away from it all for a little bit.”

“Well, that’s understandable, but there’s got to be more to it than that,” he says, trying to keep his tone light, trying to hide his worry. “If there’s something on your mind, you know you can always talk to me about it, right? That’s what I’m here for.”

She looks down, then looks back up at him, then looks down again. Softly, she says, “It just sort of hit me that I’m stuck. I married a man that I’m not in love with, and now I’m stuck.”


	2. Chapter 2

Jeralt doesn’t expect to see her say something like that, and for a second, it seems like she did not intend to say it. There is a pause, just enough hesitation for him to see Byleth’s uncertainty, and he knows that she never meant to let something like that slip, not even to him. Even so, he is glad that she did, because he is glad to finally know the truth.

He is not glad to see that her situation has reduced her to this, though. Byleth has never been a heavy drinker, not at all taking after him in that department, so to see her drinking like this was already alarming enough. And though he knew all along that there was no way that she could possibly be in love with Claude, he never knew it was hurting her this much. He always assumed that, if she were going through with it, that it must mean she had fully accepted it, and wanted to do things this way.

Hell, he had assumed that it was a side effect of how detached she is; her mother had fallen in love with him despite that, but perhaps Byleth was just immune to such feelings, and did not mind giving her hand to someone she did not love, all for the sake of their homes. But now she is breaking down right in front of him, the weight of what she has done finally bearing down on her, finally becoming more than she is able to handle by herself. It is too late for her to back out of this, without causing an incident, and she really is stuck.

He can think of nothing to say, and just sits with her, putting his hand on the small of her back, rubbing it in small circles. Byleth is not quite crying, but he can tell that she is not doing too well, and he can’t help but notice the way her dress is in disarray, proving that he is still, beneath it all, the worst kind of man. Even ignoring the fact that this is his own fucking daughter, she is upset and in need of his comfort, and he can’t stop noticing how pretty is, even when her entire life is falling apart around her, and the only person that she can reach out to is her scumbag of a father.

“Byleth…” he starts, but he can’t think of what to say. What words are there to fix what has happened? There isn’t anything that he can say to her, and he knows it. Just the same as Byleth knows that there is nothing she can do about the situation he is, there is nothing that he can do for her, nothing at all.

She looks up at him, and there is something strange in her eyes, something that he has never seen there before. Her expressions are always subtle, but he is able to read them because he is her father, because he knows her better than anyone. (For a brief, bitter second, he thinks to himself that Claude probably can’t read her expressions as easily as he can.) This is an expression he does not know, an expression that he is not able to make sense of. He has to do something for her, so he opens his mouth to say something, anything.

Byleth does not give him a chance for that, though. She does not give him a chance to say anything, before she pushes her lips against his, throwing her arms around his shoulders, clinging tight to him. Jeralt is so stunned for a moment that he does not actually register anything that is happening to him, completely blown away, completely frozen in place, but then, reflexively, he starts to return her kiss, lets his arms encircle her. It feels like one of the many dreams that has plagued him over the years, but it is far too real to be a dream, and besides, in his dreams, Byleth is never this unhappy.

But is he really supposed to believe that she would do something like this? It seems like he has no other choice, when she is right here, holding onto him, but it leaves his head spinning, and it is impossible for him to gather his thoughts, impossible to make sense of anything that is happening to him. So he decides to stop trying, even if that will definitely lead to things getting hand.

They do get out of hand, because before he realizes it, her dress is pushed up and he is halfway on top of her, while she continues to kiss him like she is starved for, nothing like the ways he has seen her kiss her husband while putting on a show in public. He reaches his hand under her dress, and she does not stop him, not even when he starts to pull at her underwear. Byleth is willing to let him take them off, and the only reason they break the kiss is so that his pants can end up on the floor, before he gets back on top of her.

Neither of them have said anything since she kissed him, with the only sound in the room their moans and panting. He has his hand under her dress again, making her moan a little more for him. It has been a very long time since he has done anything like this, but it all comes back to him completely naturally, and he is able to forget that they definitely should not be doing this. He is able to forget the way he wonders why she is doing this, and able to forget the fact that this is a dream come true for him, a dream that he has tried and failed to repress for far too long.

He is even able to forget his concerns about what this could imply, or why Byleth would choose to do this now of all times.

With his pants off and her dress pushed up, with his hand between her legs, fingering her gently while she moans out for him, there is no question of how far the are going to take this. After all, if things have already gone this far, then there is no need to refrain from going all the way. What they have done so far is already unforgivable, and when both clearly want this, they might as well take their crime all the way.

Her soft moans keep growing louder, and it is so strange to see Byleth this expressive, but it is something that he could never get enough of. This is his daughter, and the knowledge of that is enough to drive him mad with desire, and with the desire to keep seeing this side of her, to know everything there is to know about her. He loves her more than he ever should have, and now, she is going to be all his. Now, he is going to show her what her husband never could: how it feels to be taken care of by a man that truly loves her.

“Are you sure about this, kid?” The question slips past his lips before he can stop it; every part of his body wants him to keep going, and even the most rational part of his mind knows that if he gives her a way out, he might miss his chance forever, but no matter how he may feel about her, he is still her father, and there is nothing he can do to put a stop to those impulses.

But Byleth does not want this to stop, and even with Jeralt giving her a way out, she simply nods, to let him know that she wants it. And he knows that she is drunk and that she is desperate for affection, and that alone should be reason enough for him to decide to stop, but instead, he takes that her simple nod as the only sign he needs that he should keep going and give her what she needs, what Claude could never give her.

He is on top of her properly now, her legs spread for him, pressing the tip of his cock against her pussy, absolutely soaking wet in her desire for him. At least, he hopes that it is her desire for _him_ and not just desire for needs that have not been satisfied. Either way, though, he is going to go through with this, and he is going to satisfy her. She still says nothing to stop him and so, with a slow thrust, he begins to push inside of her, taking his time as he fills her.

Byleth whimpers as he eases forward, giving her time to get used to him. She takes him well, but that just goes to show how much she has been needing this, and he could kill Claude for denying her, and yet, he also feels like he should be grateful to the man. It is a twisted situation, because he hates any man who would cause his daughter this level of heartache, yet he could never be happy, knowing that someone else got to be with her, and if it weren’t for the pain Claude left her in, he never would have had this chance.

There is no point in thinking about any of that now, though. Not when he has finally filled her completely, and not when she feels so good beneath him, and so perfectly tight around him. Jeralt has not felt anything like this in a long time, but even nostalgia can’t hide the fact that this is entirely new. This is not Sitri, and Byleth is not a replacement for her late mother; this is him, and this is Byleth, and he loves her because of who she is, not because of the woman he can never have back.

He is not sure if that revelation should come as a comfort to him or not, but he decides to push that out of his mind as well, and to just stop thinking about _anything_. Not Claude, not Sitri, not the rest of the world, not when he has the only person who matters moaning beneath him, and not when he knows that she has adjusted to him just fine and that she is definitely ready for more.

He starts out by thrusting slowly, just to make sure that she really can take him, but it is not long before he is going at it hard and fast, unable to restrain himself once he has started. Byleth just cries out for him, her voice dripping with pleasure, a voice that he has never heard from her, one that he can imagine is meant just for him. She needs him, and she clings to him as he pounds into her, deciding not to hold back for even a second, as long as he knows that she can take it, and she proves to him time and again that she can take everything that he gives her.

It does not take long for her to completely lose herself to it, and once she reaches her climax, coming hard around his cock, he knows that he can’t hold out either, and that there is no point in trying to do so. Letting go, and forgetting everything outside of this room, Jeralt comes with her, the two of them swept away in their mutual pleasure, in this taboo moment that somehow feels more right than anything he has done in a while.

Eventually, he is going to have to face the consequences of what he has done. Byleth will have to face her own consequences just the same, and the two of them will not be able to deny, at least to each other, that they have crossed this line. And even so, he decides that he does not care what comes in the future, just as long as he has this moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeralt expects the consequences to catch up with him quickly. He halfway expects Byleth, once she is in her right mind again, to be upset with him for taking things so far, for taking advantage of her weakened willpower, of her vulnerable state. He almost expects her to blame him entirely, even though she made the first move, and he can’t help but blame himself, wondering why he could not show restraint, and stop her from making such a big mistake.

But she doesn’t. When all is said and done, the only thing she has to say on the matter is, “I’ve always felt this way.”

It takes a bit for Jeralt to get a clear answer on what that means, but slowly, the truth begins to come out. He already knows the truth about her feelings for Claude now, not that he didn’t already expect that, but he never would have guessed just how deep her feelings for _him_ went, or that she has spent as much time pining for him as he has spent pining for her. Just like him, she kept it all to herself, certain that she would lose her father for good if he ever found out about her feelings.

None of this feels real, even as he is faced with it, and in the time they spend together after her head is cleared, and after they have both confessed to their feelings, neither can believe the position that they have ended up in. While her husband was away, Byleth finally succumbed to the pressure of her loveless marriage, and finally gave into her taboo feelings for her father, and now there is no turning back from what she has chosen.

“I don’t regret it,” she finally says, before looking up at him. “Do you?”

What a question. Jeralt _should_ regret it, and there is that part of him that does, regretting it in the same way that he regrets ever falling for her to begin with, but when he is faced with her like this, knowing that he is the man who loves her most in the world, that he is the one she comes to for comfort, how can he regret something like that?

“Not as much as I probably should, but what do you want to do about all of this? You really want to cheat on your husband with your own father?” Saying it out loud only makes it feel that much more ridiculous, and that much more like he is definitely helping her make a huge mistake. It really is a shame that it seems impossible to convince his own heart of that, let alone hers.

“You’re the one who has always been there for me,” she says, reaching out to take his hand. “You’re the only person I’ve ever been able to rely on, the only stable presence in my life. In everything I did, you supported me, and…when I almost lost you, I knew that…”

Her face darkens as she remembers the day he nearly died, the day she had to fight to save him, and the long wait in the infirmary, before she knew for sure that he was going to pull through. That, of course, is nothing compared to what he endured for those five long years where everyone thought Byleth was dead, but he does not bring that up to her now, because he has already said it all, and because there was never anything she could do about that moment.

“I never want to leave your side, not for any reason, but I was always content to protect you as a father, and as a knight.” It is difficult even now to express his true feelings for her, after forcing himself to keep them hidden for so long. Even after what they have done, he feels like he is doing something very wrong to even imply that he might care for her as more than a father, like she will suddenly become disgusted with him and flee, despite the fact that she is the one sitting in front of him, telling him that she will always love him more than she could love any husband.

“I was content just to be close to you. When Claude brought up the idea of a political marriage, I just thought…well, if I couldn’t have the one I loved, I might as well do something useful. If I would never be able to marry for love, then there was no reason to hold back from marrying for something else,” she explains. “Maybe if I knew…maybe if I knew, I never would have…”

Her voice breaks, but she does not start crying this time, only looks away from him as she tries to compose herself. Byleth has changed so much, becoming more in touch with her emotions, yet at her core, she is still the same daughter he has always known. It feels like a relief, at times, to be able to see her so vulnerable, showing him that she is not so impossible to reach, and impact.

“There’s no point in dwelling on what could have been. I should say it’s my fault for not acting sooner, but I also know I never should have acted to begin with, and I don’t think either of us want to think too long on that,” he says. “If this is what you want, then I’m not going to deny you. Don’t think I would be strong enough either way, not after last night.”

So it is decided that the two of them will continue their taboo affair, keeping their relationship hidden. It will not be hard to hide it, just as long as they are careful about when and where they allow themselves to indulge in one another. In his position, it is already not strange for him to be close to her, and the fact that he is her father only makes it that much more natural.

Being close to each other will not arouse any suspicion, as long as they behave like they always have in public, and make sure the doors stay locked whenever they are alone together. For Byleth, who has been completely alone for so long, not being able to be open about her relationship is hardly a sacrifice, and Jeralt is in much the same boat, used to being without a lover, and used to keeping his feelings for Byleth completely to himself.

The fact that he will even be able to spend that precious time with her in private is enough for him. As long as that husband of hers stays away, busying himself with his real priorities, then he and Byleth will be free to continue as they want to. And if she spends a few nights in his arms, he is certain that the two of them will be good enough at sneaking around that no one will notice a thing. More than anything, he wants to make sure that she never has to spend another night alone.

~X~

And so it goes, with both settling into things rather well. Byleth can still hardly believe that it has come to this, but she is not looking back or letting herself regret anything. She feels worlds better, just having someone at her side, someone that she knows loves her, and loves her exactly the same way that she loves him. After spending years trying to process her feelings for her father, questioning why she would feel such a way, and trying so hard to talk herself out of it, to find some way to move on, the one thing that she believed to be impossible, but wanted more than anything, has finally happened.

Like this, it is almost possible for her to forget about Claude completely. At least, up until she receives word from him that he will be coming back to visit her soon. Immediately, she is filled with dread, finding that she does not want to see him at all, that she does not even miss him a little bit. If anything, she would prefer that he stay faraway in Almyra and never come to visit her, with their marriage on paper only. Of course, she knows exactly why he can’t do something like that, and why they at least need to make a good show of being a couple, regardless of how they really feel about each other.

“I want to spend as much time as you with possible before he arrives,” she tells her father, while relaying the news to him. “While he’s here, we won’t be able to…”

“I understand,” Jeralt says, not needing her to finish her sentence. “And I promise not to do anything to get you in trouble while your husband is home.”

“I almost wish you would. Things might be a little more interesting if there were a scandal,” she says with a sigh.

“What, that schemer of a husband doesn’t keep you on your toes at all? I thought he might at least make things a _little_ interesting,” Jeralt teases her. By now, Claude is not such a sore subject that he is not allowed to joke about it, and she makes a face.

“He’s not nearly so entertaining once you have him completely out, I can promise you that. And he could never be more entertaining than you are,” she adds at the end, a slight blush tinging her cheeks, even though her expression does not change much. Showing this much affection so openly is still rather new to her, after all.

“You’re cute when you get embarrassed,” Jeralt says, all with the intent of making her blush even more. “But, either way, there aren’t going to be any scandals as long as I have a say in it.”

He keeps true to his word. The two of them spend every night together up until the day that Claude returns, coming back to his wife early in the morning, met with a big celebration. Byleth feigns happiness as best as she can, and for once, considers herself very fortunate that she has always had a reputation for being incredibly reserved. No one thinks anything of it if she is quiet about seeing her husband when she is not usually all that excited to see anyone.

And Claude, of course, thinks nothing of it, because he never expected Byleth to regard him with any real intimacy. As long they are able to keep up the charade in public, she does not even have to pretend to care about him in private. Even so, she does what she can to pretend to be interested in the stories he has to tell her about his home, especially when he tells her things that will be useful for her eventual visit.

That is something that she is not looking forward to at all, for a lot of reasons. Now, one of the main reasons is her knowledge that she will not be able to bring her father along with her, not that it would matter even if she could. Together or apart, they are not going to be able to risk any closeness while under Almyran eyes, but she will miss him that much more, knowing that he is waiting for her back in Fodlan.

She also does not want to go because she is not sure what she is supposed to do. Even with Claude promising her that everything will be fine, she can’t help but question if she is really cut out for being his bride, his queen. Most of his visit is spent assuring her that when he comes to get her next, to bring her home with him, that everything will be great, and that her introduction to her new people will go off without a hitch.

As soon as he is gone, she spends a night drinking with her father, letting him know just what she thinks about everything her _husband_ has said to her.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested in my writing updates, please follow my fanfiction twitter @WattStalf


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